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While not exactly a golden rule, it is known fact that if a movie does well in the box office, chances are good that it will be followed by sequel and more often than not, we’ve come to expect that the sequel won’t measure up to the original. Add a third movie to the mix and you’re just asking for trouble. With animated movies, the expectations are often even lower. (Is anyone really surprised that the Ice Age movies keep getting worse?) But sometimes, as is the case with the Disney/Pixar Toy Story movies, we’re pleasantly surprised. Now you can add How to Train Your Dragon to that short list too.

One thing that DreamWorks Animation has understood about this series is that the story comes first, the hijinks come later. The very first Dragon movie proved that way back in 2010 with a strong story and with each chapter that has come after it, that story just keeps getting better. What started out as a cute kid’s story has become a powerful trilogy. We've seen these chara…

'Pope Francis' Documentary is Enlightening But Lacks Something

MOVIE REVIEW

Born Jorge Mario Bergoglio, Pope Francis is the first of the 265 popes before him to be a Jesuit, to come from the Americas and one of the few to have taken the name Pope Francis, in honor of the Saint Francis of Assisi. In Wim Wender’s documentary, Pope Francis – A Man of His Word, the director shares some of the history of the Saint Francis for the uninitiated with some stark black and white vignettes that look as if they came from an old silent film. This is perhaps the most artistic approach to his film.

Instead of creating a biographical documentary about Pope Francis, Wender’s film is much like the Pope himself; to the point and without a lot of frills. Francis is a very interesting man to be sure, but the end result here left me wanting more. The majority of the film is footage taken from the Pope’s journeys around the world and speaking to large crowds. So instead of getting a lot out personal insight, we hear many of the man’s speeches.

It is amazing to see how the different nationalities welcome the Pope to their cities. While some will argue that they appear to be worshipping the man rather than God, many appear to be looking to him for hope. As a priest who chastises the rich and identifies with the poor (the polar opposite of many American prosperity preachers) it would seem that his messages wouldn’t be too popular, but just the opposite is true. Whatever your views are about the Pope, it becomes pretty clear throughout the film that he practices what he preaches shunning any extravagance.

The most moving images in this film are scenes taken from a men’s detention center where the Pope tells the men that God loves them and proceeds to wash their tattooed feet as tears roll down their cheeks. His message is so simple and yet so powerful. Another is a story that the Pope shares about a dying boy who wants nothing more than a phone call from the priest. Francis called the boy’s home a number of times and left messages for the boy before connecting with him which shows his dedication to his role.

As intriguing as Pope Francis is, A Man of His Word is actually pretty dull. It would have been nice to have seen more of what the Pope does on a daily basis and to learn more about his personal tastes. I mean, what does a Pope do when he’s not speaking to large crowds? The closest we get to this kind of information is when a child asks Francis why he wanted to become the pope, but that’s about it. For some, that will be enough.

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It’s hard to believe that it’s been five years since everything was awesome, at least in the world of Lego as seen in the original Lego Movie. Since then Lego-themed movies have been released, none of which have been as popular, lucrative or received as much praise from critics as the original.

Now the gang is back in The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part but everything appears to be less awesome as Bricksburg has become Apocalypseburg and is getting worse when this world is threatened by Lego Duplo invaders from outer space. Still, just like is real life, Legos can always rebuild.

It takes a lot of physical and CGI Legos to create a movie. Here is a breakdown on how that looks:

2: The number of characters Chris Pratt, Stephanie Beatriz and Alison Brie play in the film. (Pratt plays Emmet and Rex Dangervest, Beatriz plays General Mayhem and Sweet Mayhem and Brie plays Unikitty and Ultrakitty)

3: The number of times Will Arnett has voiced the role of Batman in a Lego movie.

TVAmerica’s Got Talent: The Champions brought back 50 of the best acts from the different world versions of the show to compete one more time for the chance to win a really impressive (or tall) trophy, $25,000 cash and pretty incredible bragging rights. The two-hour presentation began with an hour full of filler of past acts, silly bits and interviews with the dozen remaining acts hoping to win.

Soon the 12 was whittled down to five including ventriloquist Darci Lynne Farmer, sand artist Kseniya Imonova, card magician Shin Lim, singer Cristina Ramos and comedian Preacher Lawson. And during the show’s last five minutes of the show the winner was revealed.